1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method and system for performing automated video quality assessment, and in particular to such a method and system employing an edge analysis technique.
2. Related Art
Video quality assessment techniques employing human viewers are long known in the art, and are described in CCIR Rec. 500 (ITU-R BT.500 “Methodology for the Subjective Assessment of the Quality of Television Picture”). Automated video quality assessment techniques are also known in the art. An example of a prior art system that provides for automated video quality assessment is the PQA 300, available from Tektronix Inc., of Beaverton, Oreg., US. The PQA 300 compares a test video sequence produced from a system under test with a corresponding reference sequence, and produces a picture quality rating, being a quantitative value indicative of the quality of the test video sequence. In order to produce the picture quality rating the PQA 300 performs spatial analysis, temporal analysis, and full-colour analysis of the test sequence with respect to the reference sequence.
It is also known within the art to provide for edge-detection within images, and many edge detention algorithms are known within the art that may be applied to images. Examples of known edge detection algorithms are Laplacian edge detectors, Canny edge detectors, and Rothwell edge detectors. Source code in the C programming language for a Canny edge detector was available for free download via ftp before the priority date from figment.csee.usf.edu/pub/Edge_Comparison/sourcecode/canny.serc. whereas source code in C for a Rothwell edge detector was available from figment.csee.usf.edu/pub/Edge_Comparison/source code/rothwell.src.